Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"I am not queen!" Charlotte suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "I told my father that I would inherit the throne when I turned fourteen... So, Mr. Isaac, could you stay a little longer?"

Charlotte's tone became somewhat pleading as she finished speaking.

Hearing this, Isaac sighed: "Don't be stubborn. I am a soldier of Amestris. I can't stay outside my homeland for too long."

"..." Charlotte lowered her head again.

Violet watched the two of them quietly from the side, not quite understanding what was going on.

Isaac continued, "I was curious to see just how far you could struggle, so I stayed in Rhodesells for six months to help you. As agreed, I would take something I had my eye on."

I opened the window and looked out at the crowd still celebrating.

"Turns out I don't need anything for the time being, so I'll just owe it to you for now." With that, Isaac picked up his luggage and walked out. "Goodbye, Charlotte, remember to study hard before you become queen."

But before they had gone two steps, Charlotte's small figure ran over and hugged Isaac tightly.

"Mr. Isaac, do you remember the first time we met?"

The first encounter? Was it at the princess's birthday banquet?

"When we first met, I thought he was just an rude person who was trying to freeload at someone's birthday party, but he was also the first among all the guests to wish me a happy birthday."

I'm sorry, I did go there to freeload that day.

"When I was lost, you were the one who guided me; when I was told that someone had abandoned me, you were the one who pulled me out of despair and gave me hope. You taught me how to fight back, and you showed me what tactics are. You gave me my honor, and you brought me my victory..."

At this point, Charlotte tightened her grip on Isaac's arm.

"you belong With Me!!"

Charlotte used her last bit of strength to shout those words.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Isaac said with a hint of helplessness, "Charlotte, I've already told you, I am..."

“I know!” Charlotte said. “I know Isaac is an officer in Amestris and can’t be with me…”

"Since you know..."

"But... even if you don't belong to me, at least... I belong to you."

Charlotte hugged Isaac tightly, not wanting to let go: "Everything I have now is thanks to you."

Isaac was a little confused.

What's going on? I've never encountered this before. What should I do?

Speaking of which, as someone who is about to become queen, can't you go back to the palace and study properly instead of thinking about all sorts of nonsense all day?

Could it be that she's lost and confused because no one is offering her advice after she's gone? That won't do. As the future queen, she must learn to make her own decisions.

He turned his gaze to Violet, hoping she could give him some advice.

Violet noticed Isaac's gaze, tilted her head, and indicated that she didn't understand.

"Ugh……"

Isaac had lost count of how many times he had sighed: "Charlotte, you are the future queen now, so stop with your petty talk. Do you remember what I told you before?"

"?"

“‘Create the future with your own hands,’ I remember saying that.”

"!" Charlotte seemed to suddenly understand something and let go of his hand.

Isaac originally meant that Charlotte shouldn't always rely on him for help and should study hard on her own. But Charlotte didn't interpret it that way.

What did Mr. Isaac mean? Did he mean that if I tried hard enough, he could stay by my side?

Seeing Charlotte release him, Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Well then, I'll be going now. We'll meet again if we have the chance in the future."

After saying that, he and Violet headed towards the train station. This time, no one came to see them off. After all, he was currently in a state of 'execution,' and it was best not to attract attention before the storm had passed.

Charlotte returned to the palace and, watching the departing train, said calmly, "Next time we meet, I will definitely not let you get away again."

Chapter 96: It's a Trap

A few days after the two returned to Layton, battle reports from the front came back.

Isaac stared into thought as he looked at the battle report in his hand.

"The Gadarik army is withdrawing from Instein? Even though they were at a disadvantage, it would be a bit much to just withdraw from Instein."

The battle report stated that the Gadarik army, which was originally stationed in Instan, had all vanished.

“Indeed, we were also a little surprised when we received this battle report.” Sitting across from Isaac was the Army Commander-in-Chief.

The two met again at Army Headquarters to discuss their next move.

“Withdrawing from Instan would mean they’ve surrendered, which is very illogical,” Isaac pondered. “Could it be a trap?”

“Unsure, what does Your Excellency Isaac think?” the Commander-in-Chief asked.

Since Isaac arrived here, the Army Commander-in-Chief has developed a very bad habit: he asks Isaac for his opinion on everything.

"What about the common people of Instan?"

"They all left in the third month after Your Excellency went to Rhodesell."

Everyone's already gone? That makes things much easier.

“I propose a carpet bombing of that area by the air force,” Isaac said. We’ll know whether everyone has been evacuated or not once the entire area has been bombed.

"The air force had already done this a long time ago. The bombing lasted for three days, and they didn't see any people."

This is very strange. Does Galdarik really intend to admit defeat?

"There is something else that I believe you already know about, regarding the Holy Kingdom of Salbert."

“The Holy Kingdom of Salbert?” Isaac seemed to have thought of something.

The boss had written this in his documents before I came here.

Intans is a pilgrimage city built on a vantage point overlooking the highest peak of the continent, and it forms part of a nation along with the surrounding lands. As a pilgrimage destination open to the world, it is a neutral force that does not belong to any particular faction.

Pochiachá, bordering Intans to the west, Leidenscheftrich, the leader of the Southern Union, to the south, and the Holy Kingdom of Salbert to the north, was neutral due to its strategic location, which made it unwilling to provoke the surrounding nations.

The Holy State of Salbert, a religious state, could not tolerate these two neutral countries and advocated for the merger of Intans and Pochiacha. It repeatedly attempted to attack Intans and continuously pressured Pochiacha. The Pochiacha government hoped to form an alliance with the Southern Union, while Leidenscheft worried that a hasty alliance would worsen relations with the Holy State of Salbert. Therefore, it provided economic support through a trade treaty with Pochiacha and pledged to send troops to maintain its independence should it be invaded.

Meanwhile, the Holy Kingdom of Salbert conspired with the Kingdom of Caldaric, which intended to invade southern countries and plunder their resources, and drew in neighboring nations to form the Northern Alliance, declaring war on the Southern Alliance led by Leidensheftrich. According to the Northern Alliance's initial plan, the Caldaric army launched an aggressive attack on Pochiacha.

Although the country didn't make any major moves for several years after the start of the continental war, no one doubted their ambition to take over Intans City.

Anyway, Isaac was basically clueless about politics, but he could still glean some information from it.

"You mean, this time, the Holy Kingdom of Salbert might interfere?" Isaac asked.

This is not good. The Southwest Union only has Leiden-Sheftrich who can fight, maybe with Rhodesell at most. The Northeast Union has Gadarick and Tukurigao, both of whom are not to be underestimated, plus the Holy Kingdom of Salbert...

It was absolutely delicious!

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." The Commander-in-Chief sighed; he had been troubled by this matter for a long time.

Just then, Isaac suddenly said, "I'll take some men and go see for myself."

In situations like these, it's definitely better to conduct an on-site inspection.

"How can this be? Your Excellency, just as you said before, this could be a trap," the Commander-in-Chief said hastily.

“It could very well be a trap, but we won’t be able to end the war until we take this place,” Isaac continued. “As a State Alchemist, it’s perfectly fine for me to go there now, and even if I find out it’s a trap, I can escape quickly.”

Isaac's idea was simple: since no one was found after the carpet bombing, it proved that even if there was an ambush, it was probably in a nearby city. If it was a trap, he could just use thermobaric bombs to bomb it.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Isaac, the commander-in-chief sighed: "Alright, I'll allocate five army groups to you here. Be careful then."

The commander-in-chief said this with a sense of helplessness. On one hand, he hoped Isaac could help them repel the enemy; on the other hand, if anything happened to Isaac here, their relationship with Amestoris would be...

A week later.

Under Isaac's leadership, all five army groups of the army began their march toward Instein.

"So Violet, why did you follow me again?" Isaac looked at the blonde girl sitting next to him with a helpless expression.

I had been telling her before that the front lines were dangerous and that she should stay in the rear, but she hid in the trunk of the car again early this morning. Then Isaac found her.

"I don't know why, but I have a very bad feeling," Violet said worriedly.

"A premonition? We're just going to scout things out. If things don't look good, we'll make a run for it," Isaac said.

Although Isaac didn't think the mission would be dangerous, he decided to be cautious and slowed down his march because he completely trusted Violet.

Located in the center of the continent, Instan boasts not only the highest mountain on the continent but also the source of many of its rivers. Its unique natural conditions have led it to be recognized as the origin of bountiful harvests, making it a place of faith since ancient times.

Because it is a mountainous area, marching is relatively difficult. In addition, the terrain has been riddled with potholes due to previous air bombing.

The city of Instan is now visible.

Just then, Isaac suddenly stopped.

Violet, standing next to Isaac, said, "Mr. Isaac, that premonition is getting stronger and stronger."

She turned her head and saw that Isaac's face was extremely solemn, and cold sweat was already dripping from his forehead.

Violet was startled; she had never seen Isaac make such an expression in all the time she had been by his side.

“Mr. Isaac?” Violet pulled at Isaac’s clothes and asked worriedly.

Isaac slowly began to speak, "I sensed the 'qi' of tens of thousands of people as soon as I arrived. It was indeed a trap, and they weren't lying in ambush around at all, but rather..."

He pointed to the soles of his feet and said, "They are lying in ambush right under our feet!"

Chapter 97: Two People with Perfect Understanding

"They...are right beneath our feet!"

Isaac's face was extremely pale. He looked around and felt tens of thousands of 'qi' flowing towards him.

He finally understood why the air force's carpet bombing was completely ineffective: the Gadarik troops had dug air-raid shelters while stationed in Intans.

They anticipated that someone would come to scout, so they laid an ambush here in advance.

"Retreat! This is a trap!" Isaac shouted to the army in a hurry, then immediately clasped his hands together on the ground.

at this time,

Just as Isaac shouted for a retreat, enemy soldiers suddenly emerged from the ground and began firing at the troops.